Tuesday, December 27, 2011

3,600 miles in 6 days

I've been on the road since Saturday, December 17th. My boyfriend moved out of Greenville, NC with all of his possessions in his mini-van and headed north to DC to pick me up. We packed his mini-van and stopped in Atlanta, New Orleans, San Marcos (Texas), Little Rock, Asheville (North Carolina), before heading to New Jersey to spend the holidays.

We didn't do much planning and had a few rules. Our guidelines for the trip were:
1. San Marcos, Texas by Monday, December 19th.
2. No chain restaurants.
3. New Jersey before Saturday, December 24th.

We drove through the bible belt, where I met the friendliest restaurant owner/children's book author/high school football enthusiast, saw a good friend in Atlanta, and visited Bourbon Street for the first time- 50 year old nurse strippers and cheap beer.

I spent some quality time with my brother and showed my boyfriend the sights AND also finished my tattoo in my last seven hour session in San Marcos, TX. Got some Lockhart BBQ and drove to Little Rock before checking out my new favorite place....

My favorite town is now the small city of Asheville, North Carolina. The city is surrounded by mountains in eastern NC. There are hardly any franchises and the local businesses rule the town. There are many antique shops, art galleries, great food and a booming music scene. I would love to visit again when I'm not in a rush.

The whole road trip was surprisingly relaxing. We were bound by a tight schedule but the routine of 500-700 mile days with my boyfriend and nights with friends in Georgia, Texas, and North Carolina made the journey fun and exciting.

A few things that I recommend on your next road trip:
1. INCENSE. Yep, we burned it in the car and it RELAXES you like no other.
2. PLAYLISTS. Whether it's Pandora or a mix tape made with love, good music makes time in the car so much better.
3. CONVERSATION. My boyfriend is chatty. Hours would pass by discussing mostly nonsense. It kept things fun and silly.
4. TED TALKS. Download the TED app for your phone. You can listen to experts talk about what makes them passionate and it's free!
5. NO CHAIN RESTAURANTS. We had an amazing culinary experience plus met the friendliest business owners. Keep it local.

I didn't take as many photos as I should have. Most of my proof of my road trip is captured through photos of Ryan on my phone. Enjoy!
Eating on the balcony overlooking Bourbon Street.
Old diner near the LSU campus.
First stop in Texas.
Best brisket in the world. Lockhart, TX.
The Health Shop in Waco. Awesome conversation with the owner.
Creepy restaurant dedicated to Loretta Lynn in Tennessee.
Safe and sound, back in time for Christmas.
I have a few more days of relaxing before New Year's Eve in New York City, a day or two in Washington, DC, and then off to Vegas and Zion on January 5th. 

Time for a little reflecting before the new year begins!

No comments:

Post a Comment